


Decent Intentions

by somanyfeels



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Cheating, Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Happy Ending, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Sports Injury, but not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-06-01 19:50:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6534130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somanyfeels/pseuds/somanyfeels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had been Shitty's idea for Jack to pretend to date one of the women who had come out to him during his sophmore year.  It would be easier to actually have a girl to pretend to be 'his girl' whenever the Falconers pestered Jack about his love life.  It was safer this way.  Too bad he forgot to give Bitty all of the details on the arrangement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was Shitty’s plan.  He was the only person Jack told after he and Bittle made it official.  He was also the only person who had any idea how to get his new team how to stop being so curious about ‘the girl’ he keeps talking to.  It was only going to get worse the longer that he danced around the subject, pretending he didn’t have pictures of her on his phone or giving the barest amount of details on the pretend relationship he had with this imaginary woman.

Shitty was also the one who had all of the connections.  One of the girls who came out to him during sophomore year was still trying to keep her relationship with a lovely kindergarten teacher secret from her large and very conservative family.  It was a mutually beneficial agreement, she got to tell everyone her boyfriend was Jack Zimmermann and he got to have evidence of an actual woman.

“I think I finally got a way to get the guys off my back.”  Jack said calmly.

“Well that’s good.”  Bitty said.  He was humming something and Jack could hear him moving around on the other end of the line.  He could practically imagine Eric wandering around his room or his kitchen while holding the phone up against his face with his shoulder.  “Wait, you didn’t tell them about me, did you?  I mean, it’s fine if you do but I’m just surprised.  You said you didn’t want people to know.  Are you okay?  They’re not being mean to you, are they?  I swear if they’re being mean to you I’ll drive over there an-“

“Things are fine.  No one is being mean.”  Jack said, unable to help the smile that broke across his face.  “I just think I figured out how to convince them I have a girl without them digging too deep.  I called Shitty, we have it worked out fine.”

Bitty sighed loudly, sounding either relieved or annoyed.  “Good.  As long as you’re making friends.”

Jack smiled to himself and settled in on his couch, just listening as Bitty talked about workout routines and the pre-season, which pies the frogs liked best and any new recipes he was trying out.  He had a nice voice to listen to, always energetic and enthusiastic about everything that captured his attention.  It was nice to just lay back on the couch after a long day and let his tired muscles relax and his mind calm down to the sound of his boyfriend’s rambles.

It was relaxing.  Jack turned his phone on speaker and nestled against the couch cushions, his eyes drifting closed on their own and Bittle telling him about how he tragically tripped over a misplaced boot and dropped a plate of cookies right onto the ground.  By the way he described it Jack would have thought he had accidentally kicked a puppy.  Chowder had been the one to tell him it was alright as he cried and helped him clean up the mess.

It was almost like a lullaby, listening to Bitty.  It was still early in the day, the sun barely setting, but Jack was exhausted.  He only had a split second of realizing it was rude to fall asleep when he was supposed to be listening to his boyfriend, but then he was passed out on the couch and more comfortable than he could ever remember being.

He woke up a few hours later, three hours and forty-seven minutes to be exact because the call was still connected and the timer continued to tick.  Eric hadn’t hung up.  Jack could hear his faint snoring on the other end of the line, the phone probably lying somewhere close by on his bed.  Jack couldn’t believe it, he had a boyfriend who kept the phone on for nearly four hours just because he fell asleep.  This was probably the closest they would get to sleeping side-by-side over the next few months while they’re both busy with the season.  It wasn’t nearly as good as holding him close, even falling asleep in the back of a pickup truck on the 4th of July was better than being so far apart when they tried to sleep.

Jack ended the call and smiled to himself.  He’ll have to pay the idiots phone bill himself if they kept this up.  He went to his actual bed this time, curling up under the blankets and holding his pillow close in a desperate desire to cuddle.

He had to wake up early the next morning.  The woman Shitty had called showed up with a bag full of clothes and two cups of coffee.  They had to get this done before Jack had to get to training.  He took a picture of her with his phone, just her lounging around on the couch with her feet up and a book open.  She took one of him too.  They did that for a few minutes, getting random pictures that would be expected of a lover to have.  Jack changed in his room and Suzanne changed in the bathroom so that they could have a variety of pictures in different outfits.

The picture of him and Bittle together was still his background on his phone, but Suzanne was now the lockscreen.  If any of his teammates got ahold of his phone they would see her and wouldn’t know the password to see Bitty.

“My brother is going to lose his mind when he finds out you’re my boyfriend.  Thanks for the pictures.”  She said, smiling as she looked through them.  “Try to look more relaxed though.  We’re supposed to be seeing each other, you look like you just remembered all the homework you forgot the night before.”

“I don’t have homework anymore.”  Jack said.  He rubbed a hand over his face and checked the clock.  He still had a bit of time before he needed to head out to practice.  “Good luck with your family.  I hope things between you and the teacher work out.”

“I do too.”  Suzanne said.  She reached out and gave him a single pat on the shoulder before grabbing her bag and walking towards the door.  “Good luck with the whole sports thing.  I hope things go alright with you and whoever you’re trying to keep secret.  Call me if you need anything, sweet boyfriend.”

Jack hummed in acknowledgment as he stared down at his phone.  The pictures looked authentic enough.  No one would both to think he staged having a girlfriend when they saw these.  Bittle would be just fine back at Samwell, he wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.  Jack wouldn’t have to deal with the whole sports world finding out the love of his life was a small, beautiful, perfect boy from Georgia.

There was one picture of Suzanne kissing his cheek that he made the lockscreen on his phone.  The team would see it first and immediately know that he did have a girlfriend.  They wouldn’t want to dig any deeper than that, but there were more pictures if they did happen to be curious.

Practice went by without any serious issues.  They worked well as a team, even though it still felt knew and awkward learning how to cooperate with the new faces around him.  It was fine, he would get used to them soon enough.  It was different than the Samwell team, when practice was over they all went back to their own homes and their own families.  There wasn’t a Haus, no classes to worry about.  They were all professionals working together effortlessly on the ice and then going their separate ways at the end of the day.

Jack checked his phone when they went to wash up and change.  Bitty had texted him when he woke up to tell him that his snoring still sounded like a batch of excited baby piglets.  It was quite the description and it didn’t sound appealing at all but Bittle had added so many hearts around the sentence that Jack didn’t think it could possibly be a bad thing.

“Look at that face!  Falling in love Zimmermann?”  One of the guys called out to him, reaching out to clap him on the back.  Jack quickly pressed the power button on his phone, hiding the texts from view.  “Having a personal moment with your girl?”

“Yes.”  He said.

The locker room erupted into a series of hoots and cheers, several of the guys huddling around him as if they were going to pry any bit of information out of him.  This had gone on for weeks, their curiosity burning hot as they tried to figure out who could get him to smile like that and then never talk about.

“Come on, what’s she like?  Long hair, cute smile?”  They asked.  “She has to be something special if she could get you, rumored hockey robot, to grin from ear to ear like that.”

“No, she’s just a girl.”  Jack said.  He held his phone close to his chest.  He had to keep up his normal behaviors.  They would know something was off if he just willingly showed pictures of his ‘girlfriend’ without a fight.

It took just a few more minutes of them prodding him and harassing him for information until he finally showed it to them.  They passed around his phone, they didn’t know his password so the texts were safe.  When he finally got his phone back they all shook his hand and congratulated him on landing such a gorgeous woman.

It didn’t mean anything, they were just excited to finally know about his supposed girl.  They wouldn’t give a shit tomorrow, they’ll move on to something else and harass another player about something they wanted to keep personal.  It was just the friendly banter of teammates.  Now that they had what they wanted it wouldn’t be an issue.

Jack’s hands were shaking as he held his phone in an iron grip and walked back to his car.  This was fine.  No one knew about Eric.  The two of them would be just fine.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack did laps around the rink.  Practice had ended, everyone was heading out, but their first game was coming up soon and he still didn’t think he had the hang of it.  He hadn’t absorbed the feeling of playing for this team.  Skating around an empty ice rink wasn’t going to change that at all, regardless of how many times he looked at the team’s logo.

Samwell was probably getting ready for the start of the season too.  It was coming up fast and Jack didn’t feel prepared.  He wondered if they were training enough, if they ate too much pie or if Bittle was sneaking in sweaters to give to the frogs.  With him and Shitty gone maybe Bitty could use those big eyes to convince someone to let them wear them for hazeapalooza.  It was still a little way away but Jack was sure if Bitty used those big doe eyes he could convince anyone to do anything.

He would have to leave soon.  With all of his other teammate washing up and heading out he shouldn’t stay behind for too much longer.  Still, he was skating around on the rink as a member of a professional Hockey team.  He wanted to call Bitty.

In no time he had rushed to get his phone and got back on the ice, dialing the number as fast as he could as he tossed his gloves carelessly off to the side.  It wasn’t until it started ringing that he realized they might be busy.  The Wellies would be focused on making sure they were as ready as possible for the start of the season.

“Hey, Honey!”  Bitty said as he answered the phone.

“Hi.  You doing alright over there, Bits?”  Jack asked.

“The boys are doing great, I’m teaching Nursey how to do a spin and Shitty stopped by the other day because I tweeted that I was making key lime pie and he showed up half an hour later.”  Bitty said.  He sounded relaxed, but a bit tired.  “I know Boston isn’t that far, but goodness did it make me feel special knowing he would make the trip just for my pie.”

Jack smiled.  Maybe once the season was done he could drive over there and convince him to make something just for him.  He would buy Bitty all the good cooking chocolate he would need, baking sugar, fancy flour, or anything else he needed.  Bittle would have to write him a list before he goes out shopping, but Jack was willing to buy him just about anything at this point if he kept being this excited about it.

“Guess where I am?”  Jack said.  He stopped in the middle of the rink, looking out towards the stands surrounding the area.

“Providence?”  Bitty said.

“No.  Wait, yes.”  Jack said softly.  “I’m on center ice.  All alone.”

Not true, he wasn’t alone out here.  He had Eric on the phone, out here on the rink with him.  It wasn’t like Faber.  The ice seemed almost smoother, the building larger, the windows wider.  Everything was probably pretty much the same, but it all felt different.  The whole place felt giant we he stood in the center of it all with no one but Bitty in his ear.

“Wow.”  He said.

“Yeah.  Wow.”  Jack said.  He stood there for just a few more seconds before going to retrieve his abandoned gloves and skate off the ice.  “Thanks.”

He wasn’t sure what he was thanking Bitty for, but he felt like he had to say it.  This was important.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”  Jack said.

“Yeah!   And I’ll try to come up for your games.  I won’t make most of them, what with the season about to start up, but I’ll let you know if I can make it over there.”  Bittle said quickly.  “I’ll bring you souvenirs.  Would your team like Samwell shirts?  I wasn’t going to say anything but I have a small stockpile and I’m trying to get rid of a lot of stuff.  I was going to donate them but maybe you could pass them out to your friends.”

“Nah, Bits.  You should donate them.”

“Are you sure?  I have a bunch of sweaters too.  You guys will need those once winter hits.”

Jack laughed at that.  “We’ll be okay.  Definitely donate them.”

He heard Bittle’s soft sigh as he made his way towards the locker room to get washed up and head out.  It was mostly empty when he got there, just a few of the guys lurking around and he waved at them as he continued on.

“Fine.” Bitty said.  “But you’re still getting a sweater.”

Jack hung up and got ready to head out.  He was one of the last to leave, only a few other guys following him out.  He didn’t have any plans for the day, so now that practice was over he could just head home and take a nap.  Maybe he could watch a movie or listen to one of the CDs Bitty sent along with him.  There was simultaneously a lot he could do and absolutely nothing.  Once training and practice was over, he didn’t have classes or homework to keep him occupied.  He could read a book or watch tv, but he had no plans.

He sat down in his truck and took a deep breath.  This was fine.  This was how adult life was supposed to be.  No classes, no deadlines, just work.  He could just head out to a gym and keep training or he could head home and see if any of his old friends were free to Skype.  Shitty was in Harvard for law school, he might be too busy.  All the guys still at Samwell might be free, if Bitty was able to answer their calls then practice might be over for them.  Or hadn’t started yet.  He could ask Ransom and Holster about the schedules they set up.

Jack was pulled from his thoughts by a tapping on his window.  He looked up to see a few of the guys just lurking there and grinning widely.  His heart sped up and felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.  Slowly, he reached out to roll down the window, not bothering to unlock the door.

“Did you guys need anything?”  He asked.

“You have your head in the clouds, Zimmermann.  Almost too easy to sneak up on you.”  Thirdy said.  “Anyway, the night before the first game we all celebrate by going out together as a team.  Sort of like a little dinner party, or whatever you want to call it.  Anyway, just bring your girl and dress nice.”

“My girl?”  Jack asked.

“Yeah, your girl.  Honestly, it’s almost like you’re trying to hide her from us.”

“Well, she’s busy.  And can’t make it.”  Jack said.  If his heart was beating fast before then now it was pounding in his chest, going so fast that he almost couldn’t keep track of it.  He could probably call Suzanne.  Get her to at least meet the team once so they stop asking questions.

“Fine, but it’s bad luck if you don’t bring her.”  He said.  “At least think about it.  And relax, you look like you were scared we were going to jump you.  You’re on a hockey team, not joining a gang.”

Jack quickly tried to relax.  He didn’t think he looked scared.  At least not in the face, but his muscles were tense, his shoulders high and his body language defensive.  “I’ll talk to her about it.  See what we can do.”

They seemed satisfied with that.  The guys waved him goodbye and walked away from his truck.  Jack rolled up the window and started the engine.  He didn’t stop to think about what he was supposed to do until he was back in his apartment.  This wasn’t fair, he shouldn’t have to put so much effort into something like this.  Everyone else got to just be happy, no hoops to jump through or expectations to meet.

Bitty made him happy.  Jack wouldn’t give him up for the world, not when it felt like the sun rose and fell on that boy.  If Jack had to stay hidden for the rest of his life, he would do whatever it took to keep Bitty and his career.

He pulled out his phone and typed in the number.  Suzanne didn’t answer, the call went straight to voicemail.

“Hey.  This is Jack.  Um, Zimmermann.”  He said slowly, his hands still shaking lightly.  “We need to coordinate schedules.  The team is having a dinner and they want you there.  Call me back.”

Jack felt like he was vibrating with energy, his whole body trembling as he tried to work out what he was supposed to do.  This was fine, it wasn’t a big deal, the team wanted to meet his girl and if she doesn’t show up then they won’t think anything of it.  No one would find out about Bitty, and even if they did it’s not like he thought they would beat the shit out of him and kick him off the team.  They had each other’s backs.

No, it would change things.  They would be awkward having him in the locker rooms, they would look at him as if he had groan a second pair of eyes, they would avoid reaching out to him, they wouldn’t invite him out anymore.  Even if they all said it didn’t both them, Jack knew it would.  People said things didn’t bother them but the moment they had to deal with it personally it was too much.  They wouldn’t kick him from the team, but they would definitely shun him.

Jack wasn’t sure if he could handle that.  For Bitty he would do anything, but the last thing he wanted to do was choose between Hockey and his boyfriend.  It was easier to just keep things quiet.

His phone vibrated and Jack grabbed it immediately. 

Suzanne had texted him.  _‘When’s the dinner?’_ It was short and to the point and Jack took a deep breathe before responding.

_‘Next Friday.’_

_‘Okay.  I can probably make it but you have to come to my cousin’s wedding with me.  She’s prissy and annoying and I want to show you off.’_

Jack relaxed slightly.  She could go and seemed willing to pretend to be his girlfriend in front of the whole team.  Jack tossed his phone off to the side and sat down on the couch, closing his eyes and trying to steady his breathing.  It was fine, they wouldn’t find out.


	3. Chapter 3

The team dinner was a rowdy affair.  Jack had expected as much, they were twenty athletes celebrating the night before their first game of the season and each of them had brought along either their wives or girlfriends.  That in addition to the coaches and everyone else who were important to the team were there.  Over fifty people, all in one large dining hall.  Jack hated it.

Everyone was celebrating, giving speeches, and drinking.  Shouts were travelling across the room as everyone tried to speak to everyone else all at once, Jack was stuck in the middle of it as he tried to just sit quietly at his table.

“One hell of a party.”  Suzanne said.  She was sitting next to him, her plate of food mostly finished and on her third drink.  “How long until a fight breaks out?”

“Hopefully never.”  Jack said.  “This is a team.  We don’t fight each other.  We have each other’s backs.”

He was fairly sure there was going to be a fight within the next half hour.  It reminded him a lot of the Epikegsters Shitty used to throw, with an endless supply of alcohol and everyone doing their best to have a good time.  It wouldn’t be a serious fight if it was like anything they did at the Haus.  It would probably be just a friendly battle of wills, see who is even the slightest bit stronger than who in either an arm wrestling match or just picking each other up and throwing them.

“Still, I was expecting something a bit more classy.”  Suzanne said as she looked out over the crowd.  “It’s still amazing.  I can enjoy a good party.”

“This isn’t for the press, it’s just for us.  And we’re excited, pumped full of jitters and adrenaline.  I just wish they wouldn’t yell so much.”  Jack said.

Jack sat back in his seat, calculating how long it would be until socially acceptable for him to get up and leave.  Mostly likely soon, they had an early day tomorrow and while no one was drinking enough to get drunk and have a hangover on game day, they still needed to go to bed early.  Jack’s morning routine had him up by 6am and it was already getting far too close to when he needed to be in bed for a full eight hours.

There were cheers going through the dining hall as the team captain stood up and raised his glass, congratulating everyone on their hard work and determination.  There were words of encouragement, wishes for luck for the upcoming season, and a few moments where he said no matter what they should be proud.  Jack listened to all of it.

Ransom and Holster were probably getting the team pumped up for the start of the season too.  Probably not at this very moment, Jack didn’t think their first game was for another few days.  He’ll have to call Bitty, get the details.  Maybe, but mostly likely his schedule wouldn’t allow, he could drive up there and see them play.

“What are you thinking about?”  Suzanne asked, leaning over to him.  “You have that weird, far away look on your face.”

“Oh.  Just home.”  Jack said.  He glanced up at her and then back down at his plate.

“Home.  Right.”  She said slowly.  She knocked back her drink and grabbed another.  “Look, I understand you’re a very private person, so I’m not going to ask too many questions.  You just got this weird look on your face right now and I can’t tell if you’re happy, sad, or bored.”

There wasn’t much to say to that.  Jack didn’t know how he looked, with all the constant jokes of being a hockey robot he didn’t think he looked like he was feeling much of anything most of the time, regardless of how he actually felt.

“I’m just nervous.  It’s the first game of the season.”  Jack said.

He didn’t feel like sticking around much longer after that.  There was a game tomorrow and he needed to get as much rest in as he could.  This was it, the first game.  He was in the NHL and this game was going to set up expectations for him.  Either he’s mediocre at best or he’s perfect.  Jack didn’t spend most of his life training for this moment just so he could be mediocre.

He was able to slip out without causing too much of a ruckus.  The team shouted their goodbyes and Suzanne followed him.  He drove her home, they exchanged details for her cousin’s wedding, and then he was finally alone.  In comparison to the loud, boisterous activity of the dinner party, sitting alone in his truck was almost a deafening silence.  Back at the Haus, there would have always been noise until the moment the very last one of them fell asleep.  Shitty was great at staying up late on the nights before a game and still looking fully refreshed by the time they went out on the ice.  If Jack wanted things to be noisy, he would have called Shitty.

He drove home in silence and once he had the door locked behind him he called Bitty.

“Hey, honey!  Haven’t spoken to you all day.” Bitty said the moment he answered the phone.  “Everything going alright over there?”

“Yeah, things are fine.  I was just with the team because they were having a get together before tomorrow’s game.”  Jack said.

“You’re going to do great and the whole team are going to get together to watch you.  We have your back, Jack.”  Bitty said.  Jack’s face broke out into a smile when he heard a soft gasp on the other end of the line.  “That rhymes.  Now I have to say that all the time.  Anyway, tell me how your day went?  You excited for the season?”

Jack sat down on the couch and leaned into the cushions, throwing his feet up onto the coffee table.  “The day’s been busy.  It’ll be better once we’re actually out on the ice.  Right now it’s just scary.”  He said.  He wished Bitty was here, things always worked out better when Bitty was with him.  “I just need to get some rest.  I left the party pretty early, said goodbye to Suzanne, and called you as soon as I got home.  Wanted to tell you goodnight.”

“Suzanne?”

“Oh.  Yeah.  She’s helping me with the team, making sure they don’t find out I have an actual girl.”  Jack said slowly.  He didn’t want to make this more complicated than it already was, if Bitty wanted him to stop then he would.  If Bitty thought it was a great idea than he would continue on as he had been.

“Well, that’s nice of her.  I’m glad things are working out over there.”  Bitty said.  “Just remember that we all care about you and I love you so much.  Call me if you want to talk to me, or if you need me to drive out there, or to say hello.  Anything.”

Jack felt warm, all the tension rolling out of his body as he sunk deeper into the couch cushions.  “Will do, Bits.  I love you.”  He said before hanging up and going to bed.

Game day was always something special and there was nothing compared to the first one of the season.  Jack felt like he was on fire, his whole body reacting to the excitement and anxiety by making him feel sick.  It would be better once he was out on the ice.  Playing the game was always easier than waiting for it to start.

He wasn’t in the first line.  He was the rookie, he wouldn’t start off playing right away.  They would bring him out later.  Still, he sat off to the side and watched his teammates skate across the ice until the time came for him to go out.  As soon as his skates hit the ice it was like all the pre-game worries disappeared.  They would all come back once the game was over, and for the next game after this one, and for every single season to come, but out here on the ice it felt like he was doing exactly what he was born to do.

Samwell was watching, Bitty promised that they would be.  It was a nice feeling knowing that even though he graduated and was gone, his team was still there for him.

It was like the other team had it out for him, Jack was fast on the ice and managed to get out of the way but it was still too close.  Several of the other guys spent half their time trying to distract him and the other half trying to knock him down.  This was a contact sport, Jack expected to get hit, but it was also a team sport so he couldn’t help the thrill of seeing one of his teammates slam into a guy going after him.

Jack was passed the puck, they were giving him an opening to get through the neutral zone and hopefully score a goal.  All he had to do was get close and avoid the D-men.  It isn’t something he hasn’t done before, he knew what to do.

He was aware of everything going on around him, blocking out the screaming crowd as he tried to skate around the opposing team.  Jack skated around the side, trying to go around and then go in for the shot.  His teammates were trying to give him more room, more space, he wasn’t going to get through.  They would have to abandon the play, Jack would have to pass the puck because one of the men were heading straight for him.

There wasn’t any time.  He picked the nearest open teammate and passed the puck, his priority of this point was to get it away.  He didn’t even know if it got to him before he was slammed into the glass behind him.  It wasn’t too bad of a hit, the glass had a bit of give to it, and Jack would probably skate away from this just fine.  Jack didn’t mind getting checked, he knew when his body had been hit hard enough to put him down for a while and this wasn’t one of those times.  It was the glass that was the problem, it shattered on impact and the small shards rained down slowly on both him and the crowd in the area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More is coming!! Thank you so much for reading, it is important to me that you guys like it so feel free to tell me what you think. The recent updates have really been fueling this story so expect another update soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really into writing this right now and have no self-control so here's another update. I hope you guys like it.

“I promise, Bits.”  Jack said.  He was sitting calmly on the exam table, just a regular checkup to make sure the hit didn’t cause too much damage.  “Doc says I’m fine.  Just a few scrapes and bruises.  They say I can play in the next game, no problem.”

“Are you sure?”  Bitty said slowly.  Jack could practically see him, the worry on his face without even having to see him.  “It looked bad, if you need me to come up there I can.  I’ll make you anything you want, I’ll rub your back, I can be there in a few hours.  Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m alright.  Don’t worry about it.”  Jack said.

“Jack Laurent Zimmermann, do not tell me not to worry!  You didn’t see it.  For a split second there I thought the worst.”  Bitty said.  His voice shook slightly, Jack almost didn’t hear it.  “I’m coming over.”

The doctor mostly ignored him, just going over the last of the paperwork and handed it back to him.  It wasn’t important, he didn’t even need this checkup, Jack would have known if something was broken or sprained.  He nodded as he left the room, leaving Jack alone.

“Don’t do that.  I’m fine.”  He said, standing up to collect his things.  “Honestly, it was just that I hit the glass just right, perfect angle and perfect pressure points and it shattered.  Wasn’t a hard hit at all.”

“But I want to see you.”  Bitty said.

“I know.  I want to see you too, but what’s Holster and Ransom going to do if their fastest player disappears on them?”  Jack asked.  A smile broke out across his face when he heard Bitty’s annoyed sigh and he knew he had won.  “No one got hurt, don’t worry about a thing.  I love you.”

“I love you too.”  Bitty said.  “But be careful next time or I will be over there faster than you even think possible, you hear me?”

“I hear you, Bits.  Good luck on your game.”

Jack walked through the halls of the stadium quickly, his head down and his shoulders up.  He hated doctors, hated that the team made him come to this checkup even though he was perfectly fine.  Although he preferred seeing the doctor they had at the stadium for games like this instead of going to a hospital.  If it was up to him he would never step foot in a hospital again.

The team was waiting for him in the hallway before he could get to the exit.  All of them dressed down and cleaned up, the thrill of the win still written across their faces.  It was a good game.  No one got hurt, the crowd was just fine, and they won.  The first game of the season was successful if they ignored the broken glass.

“Look like shit, Zimmboni!”  Tater shouted at him.  “Has your face gone through paper shredder or something?”

It wasn’t that bad.  The helmet blocked most of the glass from getting to his face, but there were a few small cuts on his chin and cheeks.  If anything it looks like his face was attacked by a very playful and weak kitten.  The team is surprisingly gentle with him, barely even tapping him when they go in to punch his shoulder and shove him teasingly.

There was talks of going out for drinks, having dinner together, doing anything to celebrate the first win of the season.  The night had gone great, time to celebrate.  They didn’t head out right away, Jack just stood around with the team as they played the highlight reels on their phones, enjoying countless reruns of Jack getting checked.  He could understand Bitty’s worry, it did look like a hard hit.  Had their situations been reversed Jack would probably have had a heart attack and turned into a mess of worry.

“Sweetheart, there you are.”  Suzanne said, walking through the hallway up to Jack.  “Your friends called me when you got hurt, are you alright?”

He stared, wide-eyed and surprised to see her standing there in front of him.  It was awkward, she seemed nervous and confused and looked around at the other guys as if they were police ready to interrogate them.

“I’m fine.”  Jack said.

“Thought you would like to have your girl here.  It’s been a good night, but you know how the ladies worry.”  Guy said.

Of course they would have called her and Suzanne practically had to come.  It would have been strange if she didn’t.  Still, neither of them were prepared for this.  She sounded too forced, too strong in her worry and affection.  It wasn’t real.

“Well, I’m so happy you’re alright.”  Suzanne said, quickly stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Jack’s waist.  “We should get you home.  Time to relax, put your feet up.  Alone time, that’s what we need.”

The team started hooting in the background but all Jack could hear was the frantic beating of his heart and the chance of escape Suzanne was offering.  He wanted to get away from here, they weren’t a real couple and there was no way they could fall into the role of one on such short notice.  They were being too obvious, they were too stiff as they embraced one another, everyone was figuring it out.

“Yeah, we should go.”  Jack said, nodding slowly.

They walked down the hall, arm in arm, until they came to the exit.  Jack had his bag slung over his shoulder and he tried to keep his head down as a few sports writers and photographers just milled around waiting for the team.  The guys were close behind him, chirping him as he pulled her closer.  It was fine.  Just friendly banter from teammates.  If they knew about Bitty than that would all stop.  If they found out he was with a man they would push him aside, ignore his love life and reduce their interactions to just hockey.

Jack didn’t want that.  He wanted to be friends with his team, wanted them all to trust one another and be a small family throughout the season.  If they found out he wouldn’t be welcome anymore.  He was already the rookie, struggling to find his place on the team.  He couldn’t give these guys another reason to dislike him.  Jack didn’t want to play for a team that couldn’t even look at him, but if they came out about Bitty now then it would be just that no matter who he played for.

“Come on, Zimmermann.  The girl was worried.  Give her a kiss for the cameras.”

It was just more playful teasing, nothing serious.  They thought they were a real couple.  This is what the team did to real couples.  Suzanne was the one who reacted to it, they had walked up to Jack’s truck and she turned in his arms and cupped the back of his head as she moved in.  It was a quick kiss, soft and innocent.  Then she pulled away and walked around the other side with the team hollering at them as they made their way to their own vehicles.

“You can go around the block and drop me off at my car.”  She said once he was in the driver’s seat.

“Thank you for that.”  He said.  “You didn’t have to come.  I know you weren’t expecting that.  Hell, I wasn’t even prepared to see you there.”

“I kinda did have to come.  What was I supposed to say to them?  ‘Oh, my pretend boyfriend was slammed into a sheet of shattering glass?  That’s cool, I’m just going to stay home and watch Cupcake Wars.’  I’m sure that would go over well with the fellas.”  She said, rolling her eyes.

Jack chuckled softly.  “Bitty likes Cupcake Wars.”  He said.  He took a deep breath and turned around the corner she pointed at.  “But no, I really appreciate you coming.”

“Don’t mention it.  But I expect you to be on your worst behavior for the wedding so that when we pretend to break up my parents absolutely adore the girl I bring home.”  Suzanne said.  She leaned over and gave him a brief kiss on the cheek before getting out.  “But really, I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

She shut the door and got into her own car.  Jack stayed as she pulled away.  This was good, the team had bought it.  Hopefully they’ll be satisfied enough to give him hell over ‘his girl’ that they won’t be suspicious of anything else.  He was expecting a lot of teasing in the near future.

He went home.  Not bothering to meet with the team for drinks or whatever their plan for celebration was.  After a game like this Jack needed to just take it easy.  His nerves were on high alert, his body burning hot, and his muscles aching from the extra stress they had taken on.  He just needed a hot bath and a soft place to sleep.  If the rest of the team was still up he could probably skype them, see how they were all doing for their season.  Ransom and Holster might have finally figured out a play around Bitty’s fear of being checked, even though he no longer collapsed and was just fine on the ice, the fear was still there and if it was even the slightest bit of a problem then those two would find a way to work around it.

“Jack!  Glad to see you survived.  Those guys were huge.”  Lardo said as she answered his skype call.  The rest of the guys were all sitting around her, struggling to push her way into the shot.  “And they’re talking on Sports Center about the photos they got of you and your girlfriend.  She’s cute.”

Holster scoffed and pushed his head into frame.  “I, personally, am offended.  Why didn’t you tell us you were seeing someone?  We had so many plans.”  He said.

Ransom nodded in agreement.  “So many.  All ruined.”

“Sorry.”  Jack said as he leaned back into his couch.  He had dressed down into his pajamas, wanting to be comfortable and warm after the long night he had.  “Slipped my mind to tell you.  Where’s Bittle?”

Bitty wasn’t on the screen, he wasn’t anywhere in the group of guys struggling to get a view of Jack on screen to say their greetings and well wishes.  They were all ready to harass him about his girl and ask about getting checked, his old friends coming together just to see him.  But Bitty wasn’t around.

“He already went to bed.”  Lardo said.  “Said he was tired.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Are you alright?”  Jack asked.

It was probably a stupid question, Jack could see from the look on Bitty’s face that he wasn’t alright, not even close to being alright, but there was nothing else he could do over a skype call besides get him to talk about it.  Bitty didn’t answer right away, his lips pressed together in a thin line and his shoulders went up to his shoulders.  His eyes were red as if he had been crying, his hair standing on its ends to show that his hands had been pulling at it desperately.

“Fine.”  Bitty said.

It was clearly a lie, Bitty avoided eye contact and looked down at his hands instead of at Jack.  Something was wrong, Bitty had never tried so hard to not look at him before.  In all the years Jack had known him it was just the opposite, he had gone out of his way to look at him.  Jack loved it when Bitty looked at him, his eyes wide with obvious affection and appreciation and love that it was almost embarrassing that he hadn’t seen it sooner.  The look had always been there.

“Why don’t you keep telling me about your grandma’s secret cobbler recipe?  You were at the part where you were trying to translate it from Welsh and decipher the horrible handwriting.”  Jack said, sitting back in his seat and carefully studying Bitty’s face.  Nothing changed.  “Come on, Bits.  You described it as your ‘National Treasure Moment’.  Find any invisible maps?”

“Is this really what you want to talk about?”  Bitty asked.  Finally he looked up and met Jack’s eyes.  Even through the screen of his laptop Jack could tell Bitty was close to breaking.  He had no idea why, it was some mixture of anger and sadness that he never wanted to see on his lover’s face again.

“Yeah, you like that movie right?  Shitty said it was great.”  Jack said.  He smiled at Bitty, waiting for him to relax and smile back at him.

Bitty stared at him, his face scrunching up slightly into an expression that would have been adorable under different circumstances.  “I don’t want to talk about movies or my nana’s cobbler.  I don’t even know if I should talk to you at all.”  He said quickly.  Like this his accent was thicker, almost hiding the wobble in his voice.  Jack wanted to reach out to him, stop the tears that were forming and causing his eyes to sparkle just slightly.  “You’re really not going to tell me, are you?  It was on the news and you think I wouldn’t know?”

“Tell you what?”  Jack asked.

He didn’t understand.  Bitty was angry and upset and desperately trying to wipe away the tears before they fell down his cheeks.  “Lord.”  He muttered to himself, pushing away the tablet so that he was no longer on screen.  Jack’s whole body tensed violently, his hands shaking as he gripped the laptop tighter.  He could still hear Bitty, huffing softly to himself.  Jack couldn’t see him and for some reason that made it all so much worse.  He needed to see Bitty, needed to make sure he was alright.

“Bits, are you there?”  Jack asked, his voice as gentle as he could make it.  He forced his hands to release his laptop, worried that his grip would break it.

The sounds stopped.  Silence seemed so much worse than the sound of Bitty crying offscreen.  He wasn’t sure if he had left or not, if he should call someone at the Haus to go check on him.  Then the screen shifted.  Bitty’s face coming back into view.  It was worse than before, Bitty’s eyes bright red and puffy from him rubbing at them in an attempt to hide his tears.  His whole body seemed to have shrunken down on itself, making him appear smaller than Jack had ever seen him.

Jack felt cold panic rush over him.  “Are you alright?  Do you need me to come over?”  He said quickly.  They had a game soon and Jack needed to rest, especially after the hit he had taken the day before.  But seeing Bitty like this, breaking down and unable to reach out and hold him, comfort him as best as he could, Jack was willing to make the 40 minute drive out there for him.  If Bitty needed it then Jack would drive as far as necessary.

“No.”  He said, his voice still shaking.  “I don’t want to see you.”

“What?  You don’t mean that.”  Jack said, his head was jumping from one thing to the next.  He couldn’t focus on how upset Bitty looked for too long before looking down at how tightly he was clutching Señor Bunny to his chest.    “Just the other day you were insisting you drive out here to check on me and now you don’t want me coming out there?  Bits, I’m worried, please tell me what’s going on.”

There had to be a reason Bitty was this upset, he had never seen him break down like this.  He had been close to tears when Betsy broke down, upset when Chowder almost got hit in the face with a puck while his mask was up during practice, and had cried when Jack graduated, but all of that was nothing compared to this.  This was pain, heartbreak and pure sadness and Jack couldn’t help but feel like it was somehow his fault.  He ruined it.  The best thing to ever happen to him and he ruined it.

“You kissed her, in front of everyone.”  Bitty said.  “You didn’t want me coming down there, but you were so willing to kiss her.”

He was crying again, his arm shooting up to rub at his already red and irritated eyes to get them to stop.  Jack reached out for the screen, his fingers brushing over the pixelated image of Bitty.  He wished he was there, wished he could hold him and bury his face in his hair.  Jack wanted to tell him everything would be okay, that the kiss meant nothing.

“I wanted to see you, but it’s the start of the season.  Can’t have you ditching the team at the last minute without a word.”  Jack said.  He didn’t understand what Bitty was upset about.  He knew that Jack would be pretending to have a girl, he told Bits that Suzanne was helping him, this was all part of the plan Shitty had come up with.  Maybe it was just the fact that Bitty couldn’t be there himself, he was stuck at home while the team called someone else to take care of him after he was checked.  “Are you jealous?  Yeah, I kissed her, but what did you think was going to happen?”

That wasn’t the right way of explaining things.  Jack realized that the moment his words processed through Bitty’s mind and his whole face closed off, the tears falling over and spilling down his cheeks and his jaw clenching.

 “Sweetheart, please.  Just tell me what’s wrong, I don’t understand.”  Jack said. 

Bitty just closed his eyes and shook his head.  The call ended before Jack could say anything else.  None of it made sense.  What had happened was filtering through his head and he had no idea what the issue had been.  There was nothing now, where Bitty had been on the screen was not just a dark reflection of Jack’s face.  This wasn’t how the night was supposed to go.  Jack had screwed things up somehow and now Bitty was ignoring all of his attempts to reconnect the call.

He shouldn’t have called him jealous.  That was where the fault was, if the situations were reversed then he wouldn’t want to see Bitty kiss someone else after he was checked and Jack couldn’t go to him.  It wasn’t fair, it was a low blow.  Jack would apologize the next time he got to see or talk to him.

He continued to stare at the blank screen, typing little messages into the chat window.  The apologies didn’t seem to be enough, within moments of the first one going through Bitty’s skype said he was logged off.

Things would be alright.  They would work out.  Once they sat down and talked about this then everything would be okay.  Jack felt like he couldn’t breathe, even as he repeated the optimism in his head none of it set in.  All he knew was that he had finally ruined things.  Bitty was the most important person in the world to him and Jack had ruined the greatest chance of his life.  He kept staring at Bitty’s screenname, willing him to log back on so he could call and see his face again.

This was all just a bad dream.  He had nightmares often; nightmares of failure, of losing everything, of failing at hockey, of overdosing, of Bitty finally getting sick of his bullshit.  Jack had told himself these things would never come true.  They were just nightmares.

Jack slammed his laptop closed and pushed it away, scrambling for his phone and typing in Bitty’s number.  The long wait for the call to connect was like an eternity, he felt like a man on trial in those final moments before the verdict.  Either Bitty decided he was guilty or he would answer the phone.  It went straight to voicemail.

He called the next number he could think of.  Lardo had Shitty’s dibs, she was at the Haus and could check on him.  Bitty was upset, he shouldn’t be alone right now.  Someone should be there to comfort him and until Jack could get down there Lardo was his first choice.

“Did you have anything to do with this?”  Lardo said as soon as she answered.  Jack blinked, stuttering out a series of unintelligible sounds.  The accusation in her tone was surprising, startling him from his thoughts.  “Bittle locked himself in his room and all I can hear is things being tossed around and Celine Dion.  What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.”  Jack said.  His mind drawing a blank on any kind of explanation they could give.  The team didn’t know about them.  “Why do you think I did anything?”

“Well, for one Bitty has been quiet and withdrawn ever since you got checked the other night and now he’s so upset Chowder, Holster, and Ransom can’t get him to come out of his room.  Then you call me.  Seems like a rather strange series of circumstances and if you don’t tell me what’s going on I’m going to kick your ass.”  She said.

Jack didn’t know what to do.  The team didn’t know about them.  He and Bitty had talked about it, they weren’t going to know, at least not for a while.  He nearly dropped his phone, his whole body fidgeting as he tried to think of an explanation.  No one can know, not yet.  Not so soon.  No one would be able to look at him again if they found out about this.

“We were talking on the phone and I said something stupid.  Something hurtful.”  Jack said quickly.  It was technically the truth, they could still help Bitty with this bit of the truth.

“What was it?”  Lardo asked.  There was murmuring on the other side of the line, Jack’s ears picked up in an attempt to hear what was being said and if it was good or not.  “You know what, never mind.  I have to go.”

“Wait, is everything alright?”  Jack said quickly, his heart beating so fast and hard he was worried it would give out on him.  He hated this feeling, there wasn’t much worse than feeling helpless as everything fell apart.  “Is Bitty okay?”

“I don’t know, Jack.  I’ll call you back.”  She said, her tone rough and he couldn’t tell if it was rough or concerned.  “Just don’t go anywhere, I’ll let you know when we figure things out.”

When she hung up the silence rang in Jack’s ears.  Bitty was back in Samwell, misunderstanding everything Jack tried to say and responding to his stupid way of phrasing things.  Things were fine yesterday.  They were happy then, things were as they should be.  He had no idea how things turned into such a mess, but there was nothing he could do now.  Bitty wouldn’t answer his calls.  Jack was alone as everyone else tried to deal with his stupid mistakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miscommunication is a bad. Poor Jack isn't good at explaining things and definitely missing the real reason why Bitty would be upset. Hopefully things are going alright back at Samwell.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone who left kudos and comments and subscribed! It means so much to me and I hope you guys like the chapter.

Jack did what he was told to do, he waited.  Lardo insisted that he stay in Providence and that she would call him back once they figured out what was going on with Bitty.  He had no idea why things were so serious all of a sudden, why he was so upset in the first place.  This had been the plan.  Bitty seemed to have no problem with it before.

It was the kiss, Jack knew that much, the only thing that had changed recently to cause this.  Bitty was stuck in Samwell, antsy about watching Jack get hit on tv and not being there, and then having to see him pretend with Suzanne.  It wasn’t fair, and Jack calling him jealous certainly hadn’t helped, for Bitty to have to see Jack kiss another woman when he wasn’t even capable of reaching out and touching him.

He tried calling again and felt his stomach churn when it once gain went to voicemail.  Bitty’s happy and relaxed voice telling him that he was sorry to miss his call, that he should leave a message so he could get back to him later.  All of it false, odds were that Bitty was ignoring him now.  This was such a simple thing to fix, if Jack could only get Bitty on the phone he could explain.  He was sorry he kissed Suzanne, but it had to be done to keep up appearances.  Mostly he was just sorry he had called him jealous.

The team had morning practice.  Jack couldn’t stay up all night worrying about what to say to Bitty to get him to forgive him or planning on how to actually get him to talk to him.  Every call was met with nothing but the voicemail message, Bitty was either deliberately ignoring him or wasn’t near his phone.  Given how upset he had been when the skyped, Jack felt ignored.

He checked the Samwell team’s group text.  It was his last lifeline to what was going on with the team and apparently there was something big going on.  The group text was updating every few seconds, some sort of emergency protocol had been initiated.  It hadn’t even been a year since Jack had graduated and the new frogs  are talking about something called ‘code yellow’ as if that was the biggest tragedy to ever hit the team and that they should prepare for the fallout.  Shitty’s only input on the texts were a long string of question marks.

Jack turned off his phone, trying to separate himself from the world he wasn’t apart of at the moment.  The only thing worse than his boyfriend ignoring him was the knowledge that there were people with him forty minutes away who had a better understanding of the situation and all he could do was watch from a distance.  Another reminder of how Bitty must have felt back at Samwell when he had to see that kiss.

The next morning was quiet.  He turned on his phone to check for notifications and found that there were none from Bitty.  No texts, no calls, nothing.  He’s all alone here.  There are a few messages from the team trying to make plans to get in more practice.  The next game is coming up fast, with the season already started there was so much to do and not much time for anything else.

He kept his phone close as he got ready and drove to work, the other guys still coming in half asleep as they came in and walked into the locker room.  Jack stayed out in the hallway for just a moment, calling Bitty one last time and hoping he would answer, just so that he could have some bit of reaction to make the feeling of his stomach clenching up tightly go away.  Or at least lessen.  Jack would prefer Bitty yelling at him, calling him names and telling him everything he had ever done wrong to this.  The silence was so much worse than anything else he had ever experienced.

“Hey, Zimmboni!”  Tater said, appearing at Jack’s side and slapping his back with a large hand.  “You looking tired.”

Jack forced a smile, the same casual and relaxed one he had perfected for the media when he was seven years old.  It was perfect for hiding behind, for pretending everything was alright and not falling apart around him.

“Yeah, didn’t get much rest last night.”  Jack said.  It was the truth.  It was always easiest to lie using the truth.

“Your girl, huh?”  Tater asked.  He sounded excited, the question as innocent as every other, but it still hurt.  “Very luck Zimmboni.”

“Yeah.”  Jack said.

There wasn’t much to say.  All possible excuses slipped from his head and if he put up less of a fight then no one would question him further.  Tater kept his arm around Jack’s shoulders as they walked into the locker room, all the other guys a bit uneven on their feet as they got ready for practice.  It was still early, the sun barely peeking up above the horizon.  Maybe Bitty was still sleeping and would call him when he got up.  He had the night to cool down and figure things out, Jack just had to wait for him to call back.

Things were easier once they were out on the ice.  Things were good, when Jack had his skates on and a stick in his hand then the world made sense.  Hockey always made sense.  It was just a long practice, they had another game soon and there would only have a short morning skate before they geared up and started to play.  They always had to be at the top of their game, if they got lazy then they would practically be giving away their chances at the playoffs.

He was distracted though, enough to throw off his game and give him a hard time holding onto the puck once he got it.  A few of the other guys slipped past his awareness and bumped into him, not hard enough to knock him down but enough to get the puck and skate away.  It was a bit of a shock, that small little thing causing his whole world to shift around in his head and he stopped completely.  Jack almost didn’t think to go after them.  He did though, skating as fast as he could and cutting them off before they could get to their own goal.

It was barely twenty minutes into the practice and Jack felt trapped.  He didn’t belong here.  Not in Providence, not in the Falconers, and certainly not in the NHL.  Jack felt mediocre, he wasn’t doing enough.  He had messed up and now he was going to lose everything.

“Hey, are you alright?”  Thirdy said, appearing in Jack’s field of vision without warning.  He jerked back on instinct, raising his hand up as if to push Thirdy away.  “Relax, man.  What’s going on?”

“Fine.  Nothing.”  Jack said quickly, the one word answers the only thing his racing thoughts could latch onto.

“Don’t look like nothing.  Do you need to sit down?”  Thirdy asked.

Jack shook his head and looked around, the rest of the team were either skating around or standing off to the side and looking at him.  They probably regret having him on the team, seeing him as some emotionally stunted kid who was never meant to be here.  It wasn’t fair.  Jack worked so hard, why couldn’t he be good enough?

Thirdy kept a firm hand on his elbow as he skated with Jack off to the bench and helped him inside.  Tater followed, taking off his helmet and standing nearby like a giant, nonthreatening puppy here to see if he was okay.  Jack appreciated it, even if he was likely to disappoint everyone else on the team.  He felt so damn useless, so tired and angry that even after training nonstop for years his mind just shuts down and he can’t play.

“I think I know what this is about?”  Thirdy said slowly, squeezing Jack’s shoulder.

His whole body felt like it was going cold, his muscles all tensing in preparation for these guys to tell him he doesn’t belong, to out all of his secrets, to point fingers and mock him for not being good enough, fast enough, straight enough, or focused enough to be here.

“You do?”  Jack asked softly.

Thirdy nodded.  “Yeah.  We’ve all been there.  You’re a professional hockey player, you’ve been working for this your whole life, and now it’s all real.”  He said.  “We’ve all done it, just freeze up during practice because holy shit, we’re really here.  Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh.”  Jack said.  “Right.”

It made him feel a bit better.  They weren’t disappointed, they simply figured he was under stress.  It was true, Jack was afraid of the NHL, of being a professional player, and as long as he was doing okay during games then he could still prove that he belonged here.  Still, the heavy feeling in his chest didn’t go away.  Everything still felt wrong.

“Take break, Zimmboni!”  Tater said quickly, smiling widely as Jack turned towards him.  “Call your girl, give dinner and flowers.  Have good night.”

Jack took a deep breath.  “I don- yeah.  Okay.”  He said.  He could call Bitty.  It was later in the day, perhaps he’ll pick up and they could talk.  Jack needed to sort out his head.  He needed to figure out if they were okay.  He needed to hear Bitty’s voice.

Jack was dismissed with a few pats on the back and orders to rest from everyone on the team.  He went back to the locker room and grabbed his phone, stopping before checking his notifications.  There might not be anything there.  There might be a voicemail or text from Eric saying he wanted to end things.  There might be something from the Samwell team, Bitty might have told them everything.  He pressed the button and frowned.  There was the regular messages from his agent, some well wishes from his mom, and one text from Ransom.

Ransom’s text didn’t mention Bitty much, it simply talked about their first game.  Jack had forgotten about it.  Apparently it went well, they had tied and went into overtime, but they won the shootout.  Ransom said he didn’t know how Jack did it, being captain, even co-captain, was stressful.

There wasn’t else besides that.  Jack sent another text back quickly, congratulating them on the win.  He looked around, the locker room was empty and quiet, none of the other guys anywhere nearby as he called Bitty.  He held his breath as it rang, his hand clenching into a tight fist as he silently prayed for him to answer.

He didn’t.  Straight to voicemail, Bitty’s cheerful tone apologized for missing the call and told him to leave a message.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More coming soon :)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it so far and more will be coming soon. Feel free to comment and thank you for reading.
> 
> All characters belong to Ngozi Ukazu. Read Check Please [Here](http://omgcheckplease.tumblr.com/)


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